


Armour Over Bone

by LuxRoyalty (slytherinsdaughter)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 'well I'm still gay', ...maybe not in the way you think, Assassination, Betrayal, Body Horror, Gen, Humor, I don't know why my brain does it, I think of Titus seeing Cor exercise and going, Identity Reveal, Irony, M/M, Nightmares, Partner Betrayal, Titus Drautos Week, Trust, Whenever I think of Titus/Cor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-06 23:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14658786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherinsdaughter/pseuds/LuxRoyalty
Summary: For Titus Drautos WeekDay 1 ChildhoodDay 2 Nightmares and FearsDay 3 TrustDay 4 ScarsDay 5 The Captain / The GeneralDay 6 Ship Day / AUs and CrossoversDay 7 Free Day





	1. Childhood - Young Memories

**Author's Note:**

> A day with his brother.

“Titus! Don’t you dare!” Isaiah yelled at him when ran, clutching his brother’s hat in his fist. Titus looked over his shoulder and grinned at him. Isaiah could almost hear his mama - mother, damn it. He was an adult he needed to act like it - sigh at the grass stains on his knees.

Isaiah ran after him, shouting at his younger brother the entire way. His boots squished down some of the wildflowers but there was still so many left. He’d just come back from fighting in the war at _this_ was what Ty did? Typical.

But Astrals, did he miss his brother. And love him too, even if he was being a shit.

“Ty!” He yelled again.

This time Titus was kind and came back, hat on his head, as he grinned up at Isaiah. “I’m faster than you.” He boasted.

“Yeah, well, you’re tiny. That helps.”

“Hey! I’m growing!” Titus scowled. In a few years that scowl was going to be scary, but now, dressed up in a shirt too big for him he just looked cute. Isaiah didn’t say that though. He liked living. The kid packed a mean punch.

It looked he had missed Isaiah too - that was _his shirt._

“And I thought we were going to fishing, Ty.”

Titus looked at him with wide eyes before throwing his hat back at him and scuttling into the house. Apparently, he’d forgotten. Isaiah laughed at him.

Ty ran back out of the house, with a new shirt on and bag in his hand. He stopped at his feet. “I’m ready.” He looked at Isaiah, “let’s go.”

Some part of him had to be told that, no, he couldn’t hold his younger brother’s hand anymore. The kid was too old to let him. How much did he miss fighting? Titus was thirteen now, and although he said that he was small - he’d grown. He’d grown a lot. He still was a kid, thought.

Isaiah hoped that when he was old enough he would move away. To Insomnia, maybe. Somewhere safe.

Everytime he went out fighting he saw how little Niflheim cared for civilians. If Niflheim broke through into Lucis little border villages would be hit first. This village would be one of the first, he’ll bet.

Gods - he didn’t want his little brother to have anything to do with Niflheim.

He watched as Titus kicked a little rock out of his way. The boy skipped over a branch and Isaiah shook his head at him.

The noon light shone on the both of them, and Isaiah could hear the sounds of birds in the distance. He spotted the lake, and watched as the light made the surface glitter. He was happy to be back home in this little village. Even if it didn’t have anything in it.

“Isaiah..?” Ty asked, his voice trailing off as he looked at him.

“Yeah, Ty?”

“When I’m older I want to join the army, like you.”

“Titus-”

“Niflheim are attacking everyone, and mama was so worried when she was listening to the radio. I want them to go away. I’ll help.”

“Titus-” Isaiah reached out and put his hand onto his brother’s shoulders, “no, Niflheim are _monsters_. I don’t want you anywhere near them.”

“I want to protect my home.” Titus said, voice strong. If Isaiah closed his eyes he could see the man Titus would grow up to be. Why did Niflheim have to attack them? Why did they have to be at war? Why couldn’t Titus grow up safe and there was no need for fighting?

“Okay, okay. Let’s - let's just go fishing today.”

Titus knew that wasn’t really a victory, just a ceasefire, and he squinted at his brother. He nodded thought, like a little general. Isaiah could almost laugh.

He could see Titus dressed up in the uniform of the infantry, leading his men. He would be good at it - but that wasn't what he wanted for his brother. He didn't want that boy anywhere near the war.

He just wanted Titus to be safe.


	2. Nightmares and Fears

The massive daemon cried out, spluttering fire everywhere. It was a Cerberus - one of the biggest daemons Niflheim had and it was attacking his _home_. 

Everything was on fire. The village hall was burning, smoke pouring out. The wildflowers were smoldering and he could see the blackened remains of his neighbours’ house. The smoke everywhere made him cough and his eyes water. 

“Captain!” There was a yell coming off from his left and he knew that voice. He ran towards it, even thought it was hard to get around in this mess, jumping over the ruined bushes of his garden. 

He saw his Glaive quickly, and ran over to the downed figure.

“Took you long enough, sir,” Nyx said to him. He was laying on the floor, legs crushed underneath fallen timber. Blood pooled on the ground, not enough to kill, but enough to worry about. Nyx looked at him with tired eyes. 

“Ulric.” He reprimanded, even as he knelt down and touched the piece of wood, ash flaking off it and onto his fingers. It was small enough to lift of his Glaive, and he grabbed it with both hands, ignoring how touching it hurt. 

He carefully lifted it off, ignoring the sounds of pain coming from Nyx.

“Yeah, well, when you're being crushed time seems pretty long.” Titus felt more than saw him rolled his eyes but he didn't reprimand him this time as he looked at Nyx’s legs. The man was right - they were crushed. 

There was no way Nyx was just going to walk - or warp - out of this mess. 

Titus put an arm underneath Nyx’s knees and one wrapped around his Glaive’s waist. He lifted him easily, even though Nyx’s face drained of all colour. 

“Ouch, sir. This sucks ass,” he gasped out. 

“You're still alive. Think yourself lucky.”

“Am I?” Nyx asked and Titus’ eyes dropped down to look at him. Nyx looked exhausted, and he could see nasty burns that he hadn't noticed before. His whole right arm was covered in them. 

“Yes.”

Nyx shook his head but didn't say anything else. 

Titus carried his Glaive into one of the most undamaged houses, and dropped him gently onto the sofa. Nyx groaned. 

“At least this is a nice place to die.”

Titus saw a med-kit nearby, poking out of the cupboard and he reached for it, opening it to see if it had anything he needed. “Do you not want to follow your orders? Stay alive - for hearth and home.”

“I am home, sir.”

Titus stopped, frowning down at the med-kit. This was not Galahad - and Nyx was Galahdian. 

“Ulric?” He asked, turning around. 

Nyx smiled at him. “I told you - I'm finally home.” Tears fell down his face, leaving a trail. 

The trail of the tears were black and with a horrendous sinking feeling he noticed how familiar it was to him. Starscourge. 

“Nyx?” He asked again, taking a step forward. 

Nyx grinned at him and his face cracked, black ooze seeping out of the cracks. “I'm back where I belong. It's different now, but it's still home.” His teeth were dark and pointed, his skin tainted - and something was moving underneath it. 

Nyx smiled at him again, swinging his feet onto the tile floor as he walked towards him. He stopped just an arms length away. He knelt down at Titus’ feet, still dripping black goo. “I'm back home in Niflheim, sir.” His smile was warm as he looked up at him.

Glauca reached out and placed a gentle hand onto Nyx’s head. Nyx blinked back at him with red eyes. 

Titus opened his eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling of his bedroom. He felt the starscourge - no, Glauca - ooze out of his palms. Through the light of the moon he checked to see if it had left any marks. 

It hadn't. 

Nyx had smiled at him with bloody teeth.


	3. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hold them tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nyx again, I hear you say. Well think of this:
> 
> ...I have no idea how to write the other glaives.
> 
> Also you can't tell me Drautos wasn't Nyx's almost father figure. I saw those rolled eyes in the Kingsglaive movie and they were very familiar.

“We’re going back to the vans. There’s nothing -”

He watched one of his Glaives eyes opened wide as they gasped. He frowned, taking a step forward, opening his mouth to say something - but as he looked he saw him lean back and begin to fall.

He had been standing on crumbling ground, _next to a cliff._

Titus quickly ran towards him, reaching out to grab him. His eyes met with Nyx’s. He grabbed air for a moment before trying again. This time his hand wrapped around Nyx’s upper arm, but he felt his hand slide down and his stomach dropped. He ignored it all and tightened his grip, just in time for him to catch Nyx’s wrist.

Nyx yelped as he was caught, and Titus jolted forward at the sudden weight. He knew that he must have damaged Nyx’s shoulder somehow, but it was a damn bit better than him falling - especially since he was too tired to warp right now. Titus was the only thing between Nyx and a lot of pain. Or death - it was a _long_ fall.

“This isn’t what I expected to happen today.” Nyx breathed out, eyes scrunched up in pain. His braids rattled in the wind as the beads hit each other.

Titus grabbed Nyx’s wrist with his other hand. “Climb up.” He ordered.

“I’m having a bit of trouble here.” He bit out, and Titus saw how limp the Glaive’s other arm was.

“Broken?”

“Yeah.”

Of course. Still, he twisted back on his heel and pulled. The Glaive wasn’t that heavy - comparatively - but he must make it seem like he was. Slowly, Nyx moved upwards. Nyx raised his eyebrows and grinned.

Nyx put his feet on the cliff edge, shifting them before getting a good grip and standing. He walked back onto the solid ground of the cliff. Titus made him keep moving until he was a bit further away from the sheer drop. He would rather not do this again today.

“Well now I owe you one.” Nyx said, gently touching his shoulder.

Titus turned, facing away from Nyx, and rolled his eyes. “You do. Now, we to get back to the vans.”

“Alright - where are they?”

Titus sighed.


	4. Scars

Glauca came out through his scars. He didn't know how it worked, magic or technology or both. It always hissed quietly and he felt his skin burn when the liquid metal touched - but of course, it healed him too.

It streamed out of the injection marks that had been given to him by Niflheim. It was like it knew that it had come into him thought them, so it left the same way. Cold metal sliding underneath his skin.

It hurt the worst when the scars had been caused by daemons. There was a big, jagged, scar on his chest that ripped open, letting blood a Glauca out. It was the worst of them all, and it was always the first scar to open. Glauca always repaired all the damage, but Titus always felt it when his scars tore. It felt like it was burning. Sometimes he wondered if people with the starscourge felt the same feeling when they were infected or turned.

He didn't really want to know the answer.

Glauca came out of his burns, too. Electrical and fire burns. The burn on his wrist from when his home burned. The burn on his ankle from a quick monster. They always stung, muscles twitching like he was being burned again.

Every _little_ scar he had opened. That time where something sharp pierced through his boots. The time where he slid and grazed his arm something nasty. Everything he had gained fighting in this war for the Lucian King.

And the childhood scars. The ones he felt like he was damaging his memory of his home when they burst open, bloody and metallic.

Cutting his thumb with a knife when he tried cooking with his mother.

Scraping his knees playing with his brother.

A scab on his shoulder than he was told not to pick off and he did, leaving a mark.

He had more scars that people knew about. Most of them weren’t known to the world. He was covered head to toe - most of them caused by Niflheim. And they would never fade, not with Glauca. The scars on his face were the most obvious, and some of the smallest. They still caused some people to turn away from him. He wondered what they would do if they saw the _worst_ of the scars.

Some - Some scars he didn't want to fade. The curling, twisted one he had on his wrist, clutching his mother to him as his home burned. The scar on his shoulder caused by the Lucian King betraying him, _again._ The scar near his elbow, the first experiment of many that brought him Glauca.

They would not heal and he didn't want them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked through this quickly, earlier. It may be a little rough, still.


	5. The Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If this was what children were like, Titus wondered why anyone would have any.

“Captain!” He turned at the sound of his name - or what might as well be his name - to look at Luche.

Luche opened his mouth and made a face, hesitating. He quietly said, “you might want to see the training room, sir.”

He slowly blinked. Now, he would rather _not_ see the training room before somebody had the chance to - fix - something, but he nodded. “Come with me.” He saw Luche’s grimace deepen.

What had the Glaives broken, _now?_

He strode to the training room, and he saw the faces of his Glaives drop as he walked passed them. This was, in fact, not making this any better.

“Captain!” He was called again, and turned to look at Libertus, who was staring at him with a panicked look on his face. “Have you - do you know when we are gonna be deployed next?”

“No,” he said flatly, still walking.

“Is there anyway for you to check?” Libertus asked, desperately.

Titus stopped and raised his eyebrows. “You, are trying to distract me.” He started walking again, Libertus following on behind him. He could almost sense the glance Luche and Libertus sent to each other.

“Why did you have to tell him, Luche, damn it?” Libertus hissed.

“It’s not like you can hide it.”

Titus grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. He stared into the suddenly silenced room. He shut his eyes and opened them again. Nothing had changed.

“Everyone is having extra training with me,” he bit out. He shut the door again and walked away. He called out behind him, “ _everyone.”_

“Shit,” Libertus swore.

A lot of extra training. How did they manage to flood _and_ set the room on fire?


	6. Ship Day: Titus/Cor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titus/Cor

“They’d destroyed the training room. Again.” He glanced at Cor, “what have yours done?”

Cor rolled his eyes. “One of thme managed to wedge their sword in a wall in the offices. They played a game of ‘who can push it in the most’ and now it won’t come out.”

“Why?”

“Why did yours destroy a room?”

Titus shrugged. “Fair.” He watched as Cor stretched, his shirt rising upwards enough that it showed his toned stomach. His eyes fell to it before he looked away.

Cor nudged him with an elbow. “We could spar - work some annoyance out.”

Titus’ brain went straight to a _different_ way to work out stress before he dragged it back on track. “Might as well. Later.” He settled more into his seat just as a way to avoid staring at Cor. These meeting never had started like this but along the way he’d notice how nice Cor had looked.

And now he was doomed, if only inside of his own head.

Cor nodded. For a second Titus thought the other man might have been agreeing with his own personal thoughts.

Cor tilted his head and looked at him. “You’re attracted to me.” He said.

So he _was doomed._

Titus choked on the drink he’d just brought up to his lips. He turned to look at Cor, words on his lips before they’d died at Cor’s look. “Yes.” He admitted.

Cor raised his eyebrows. Titus frowned at him.

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it?” Cor asked.

Oh. _Oh._

Titus put down his drink, then turned towards Cor fully. He reached out, wrapping one hand around the nape of Cor’s neck, pulling him towards him while also getting closer. Cor let him.

He knew this was a bad idea, but really, what was the worst that could happen?


	7. Free Day: Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glauca has his orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has two parts, because I had an idea at 12am today. :)

Your orders are-

_No. He wouldn’t. He can’t do that._

“What brought you here, Drautos?” The King asked him, voice warm.

It was the afternoon, if only just, and the usual bustle of the Citadel had traded off to quiet warmth. The windows of the office were wide open, letting a cool breeze in. The sun shone directly on the King’s desk, making all the metal carvings shine bright and glitter.

Titus rested one hand on the mark of the Kingsglaive embroidered onto his shoulder. “May I sit, your majesty?”

“Of course.” He waved to the seats in front of him and Titus took the one that he _knew_ showed the least threat to the King. The chair was almost too small for him.

King Regis noticed this and frowned, but didn't say a word.

“Your majesty,” he started, hands on his knees, sitting up straight, “I have been - stupid. And bitter.”

“Drautos, what did you do?” The King had seemed to noticed that his crimes were - _bad_ , by the way he sat up and stared at him, hands clutched together.

“I've given,” there was a pause. Was he really going to do this? “Things to Niflheim.”

Amicitia stood, going a little closer to his king, heavily frowning at him. Of course, he wouldn't attack King Regis not - not _now,_ at least.

King Regis closed his eyes. “Purposefully?” He asked like it pained it him.

“Yes.” Titus admitted.

“How much?”

“A lot.”

He heard Amicitia’s sigh ring around the room and he looked straight at the King. He would take the judgement given upon him.

“How long have you been with them,” the King said quietly. His eyes were dark as he looked upon him. Amicitia’s were filled with fury, fury that someone so trusted would be a traitor.

Titus hesitated, but told the utter truth. “Since I was twenty-two.”

“How - You have betrayed your country for _twenty years.”_ The King’s voice almost reached a shout. “Why, Titus. Why?”

“My hometown. It burnt when Niflheim attacked - and then years later, Lucis didn’t defend it again.”

King Regis shook his head. “So you join the country that destroyed your town? _Twice?_ Drautos, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“I was angry.”

“You were stupid.” King Regis bit out, “you felt betrayed so you tried to betray first - meanwhile hurting everyone around you. Is that anything else you have done?” Now he just sounded tired.

Titus took a deep breath. “I am Glauca.”

Amicitia dived at him, shoving the chair back, causing it to fall over. Titus didn’t even try to defend himself - he just allowed himself to fall. He didn’t blink at the sword at his throat.

“Prove it.” Amicitia bit out.

Titus slowly reached out to touch the tip of the sword. He said nothing as the King and Shield looked at him.

He allowed Glauca to bleed out of his hand just a little, and the King drew in a sharp breath.

“General Glauca,” The King said, and Amicitia’s eyes narrowed further, the sword pressing into his armoured hand. “Is Titus Drautos,” he finished.

Titus just closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

In one universe, he turns himself in. In the other… well, he does his duty. 

_Your orders are:_

Titus moved until he laid slightly on top of Cor. One of his hands rested on the other man's waist while the other just rested on the bed. He breathed into Cor’s neck and watched him doze. It was late, and normally he would have been at least trying to sleep. Tonight, he just couldn't.

_Your orders are: Kill-_

He pressed a bit more weight onto Cor just to hear the other man grumble, mostly asleep, at him. It was a familiar noise and enough to bring a smile to his face. He gently kissed the side of Cor’s neck.

_Your orders are: Kill the-_

He slowly reached around to the small of his back and clenched his trembling fingers around the hilt of his knife. It was cold in his hands, the hoister of it too thick to allow Titus’ body heat to warm it up. The knife, made for him, felt too big in his hand.

_Your orders are: Kill the ‘Immortal’_

He waited until his hand stopped shaking until he brought the knife up. He kissed the side of Cor’s neck again and the bottom of his stomach fell out when Cor’s head moved away from his, trustingly showing his neck to Titus. He knew how much Cor loved being kissed there, warmly and affectionately.

There was a long, long, pause and he could almost tell himself that he’d fallen asleep. Cor almost had, from the way he was breathing.

Titus swung the knife down, getting it exactly where it needed to be, and Cor jolted once. Titus felt it judder through him and his breaths sounded so loud but Cor’s death rattle was louder.

Titus closed his eyes until the smell of iron overwhelmed him.

When he opened them again the first thing he saw was the stain of red, covering most of the pillow and all the sheets nearby.

Cor was so _still._ He was still warm too, and he knew that it took time for a dead body to cool down, but it felt perverse that Cor felt still alive where he was pressed to him.

He wanted to kiss Cor again. He knew that he shouldn’t, not after - after what he had done. He didn’t have the right anymore. He never really had the right.

It was too late now, but he suddenly knew his long dead town wasn’t worth it.

Not this.


End file.
